This was another round that was pretty tight until the end.
Here's what I had to say:
I've already stated most of my thoughts about he Alas LP. The album annoys me in parts where it gets harsh or very jazzy. It also entertains me in parts where the band enters the ELP-Tarkus zone, or in those quiet parts with the gentle male harmonies and tasteful, quiet synth. It's not totally in my prog sweet spot, but it successfully hits some of the buttons.On the other hand, I just can't seem to click with the Seru Giran LP. It doesn't have a lot of negatives (except perhaps for having too many high-pitch/fasletto vocals for my taste.) But it also isn't doing anything much FOR me. The musicianship is definitely good, but after three listens, I just haven't gotten interested in the songwriting. (If it moves onto the next round, I'll give it another listen then, as always, and maybe it will start to make more sense to me then.)
So do I go for the one with the higher positives AND the higher negatives, or go for the one that just kind of hangs there for me? In this case I choose passion, both positive and negative. My vote is for Alas.
Of course, it had to happen eventually, and this was the round where the majority was against me. Alas was close for most of the voting process, but it was always a vote or two behind.
Final Result: Alas 7 votes, Seru Giran 11 votes.
